These little green gems are Padron peppers, named for the Spanish town of Padron from whence they came. We first fell in love with them at Txikito, a Basque restaurant here in NYC. (Txikito serves some of the best tapas we’ve ever had – put it on your list). Imagine our delight when we spotted a huge basket of these beauties at a farm stand this summer.

The peppers are traditionally prepared by pan frying them in olive oil until they’re cooked and blistered (about 3 minutes a side) and then sprinkling them with coarse salt. You can eat the entire pepper, stem and all (as I do), or discard the stem as you would a cherry. The peppers are mostly mild, almost sweet, but occasionally there will be a rogue spicy one that will make your eyes tear. It’s part of the fun.

A plate of Padrons is a simple, but surprisingly special nibble. They make a great pre-dinner snack, especially with some wine and friends.

If you see these beauties at your local green market or farm stand – grab yourself a generous bagful. You’ll be hooked!